DALLAS Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott praised U.S. Attorney Richard Roper for obtaining indictments against three Mexican nationals involved in a scheme to sell fraudulent state and federal identification documents in Dallas. A woman arrested in connection with the operation faces deportation.

The Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations, in cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the North Texas Identity Theft Task Force, joined in the arrest of the four on Feb. 2 in Dallas.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office today obtained indictments against Adrian Guerrero-Sanchez, 37, and Fernando Garcia-Santiago, 22, who were charged in federal warrants with fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents, and with conspiracy to defraud the United States. Jose Fortino Guerrero-Sanchez, 44, was indicted on federal charges of illegal re-entry into the United States by a previously convicted and deported felon. Monica Munoz-Castillo, 25, will be deported to Mexico.

Fake documents not only undermine the public trust, but they also open the door to the threat of terrorism. The identity thieves who perpetrate these crimes must be stopped, Attorney General Abbott said. My office is committed to cracking down on the proliferation of fake ID cards and other official documents, and I appreciate the strong partnership of our Office of Special Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the North Texas Identity Theft Task Force in accomplishing this goal.

The arrests were made without incident at three Dallas locations after the four were caught selling a Texas identification card, a permanent residency card and a Social Security card. The same day, investigators executed search warrants at two apartments, a house and a beauty salon, seizing computers and media accessories that were suspected of being used to produce fake identification documents. Officers also confiscated money and blank Social Security cards.

The three men are currently being held without bond in a federal detention facility in Seagoville.

The North Texas Identity Theft Task Force is a collaboration among the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Secret Service.

To view photos of the indicted individuals and to find out more about Attorney General Abbott’s efforts to protect Texans, visit the Attorney General’s Web site at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.